Tag Archives: Trump administration

The Associated Press reports: A U.S. judge in Washington state has blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s order banning transgender people from serving in the military, the second nationwide injunction against the policy in as many weeks. The order Thursday from U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma came in a case brought by several long-serving transgender military members …

“Many judges need to be removed, Judge Howell included. Judge Reyes, Judge Boasberg — these judges obviously cannot be impartial. They cannot be objective. They are district judges trying to control our entire country — our entire country, and they’re trying to obstruct Donald Trump’s agenda. “I guess it’s a wild coincidence against Donald Trump and our administration, and now …

The Guardian reports: The US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth has a tattoo that appears to read “infidel” or “non-believer” in Arabic, according to recently posted photos on his social media account. In photos posted on Tuesday on X, the Fox News host turned US defense secretary had what appears to be a tattoo that says “kafir”, an Arabic term …

The Independent reports: Senator Mark Kelly has responded again to Elon Musk after the tech billionaire doubled down on an insult branding the Arizona senator – a decorated war hero – a “traitor” because he traveled to Ukraine to support wounded soldiers. Kelly, who is also a former astronaut, told CNN that Musk was aligning himself with “a bunch of …

The Hill reports: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said Thursday that President Trump signed an executive order limiting numerous agency employees from unionizing and instructing the government to stop engaging in any collective bargaining. The OPM memo references an order from Trump, but it is an accompanying fact sheet from the White House that lays out the rationale for …

Wired reports: A number of top Trump administration officials—including four who were on a now-infamous Signal group chat—appear to have Venmo accounts that have been leaking data, including contacts and in some cases transactions, to the public. Experts say this is a potentially serious counterintelligence problem that could allow foreign intelligence services to gain insight into a target’s social network …

Deadline reports: The composer and lyricist of Fellow Travelers, an opera based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel about the anti-gay lavender scare of the 1950s, have withdrawn the work from the 2025-26 season of the Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., citing concern over Donald Trump’s takeover of the institution’s leadership. In a letter to the …

Nature reports: The massive changes in US research brought about by the new administration of President Donald Trump are causing many scientists in the country to rethink their lives and careers. More than 1,200 scientists who responded to a Nature poll — three-quarters of the total respondents — are considering leaving the United States following the disruptions prompted by Trump. …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Thursday said he will order the Trump administration to preserve records of a text message chat in which senior national security officials discussed sensitive details of plans for a U.S. military strike against Yemen’s Houthis. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said during a hearing that he’ll issue a temporary restraining order barring …

The Daily Beast reports: Online sleuths believe that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was wearing a gold Rolex watch worth nearly $60,000 when she visited a prison camp in El Salvador on Wednesday. The watch—which appeared on Noem’s wrist while she filmed her latest publicity stunt, this time in front of a cell full of Venezuelan prisoners—looks a whole …

The Associated Press reports: Danish outlet TV2 correspondent Jesper Steinmetz reported that U.S. representatives were knocking on doors in Nuuk, Greenland, to rally support for Vance’s wife ahead of her visit. When residents were asked if they would like to visit with the second lady, the responses were overwhelmingly, “No, thanks”, according to the report. Steinmetz reported that the lackluster …

The Hill reports: Two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members fired by President Trump sued him Thursday, setting up another major test of his administration’s expansionist view of presidential authority over independent agencies. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya’s lawsuit seeks backpay and reinstatement under the Supreme Court’s 90-year-old precedent that has enabled for-cause removal protections for independent agency leaders. Like …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Justice Department is considering merging the lead agencies enforcing drug and gun laws in a major shakeup as it moves to follow President Donald Trump’s instructions to sharply streamline the government. In addition to merging the Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, department leaders are considering eliminating field offices that handle antitrust …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit said on Wednesday it has issued a new rule that will narrow a key element of the 2021 Corporate Transparency Act, a law aimed at combating illicit finance. The new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, rule goes into effect on Wednesday, even as the unit receives public comment on the …

“Well, first, it was sensitive information, not classified, and inadvertently released. And what we should be talking about is it was a very successful mission. Our world is now safer because of that mission. We’re not going to comment any further on that. If you want to talk about classified information, talk about what was at Hillary Clinton’s home that …

The Washington Post reports: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and other Trump administration officials expressed support in meetings this week for dramatically diminishing the role of the FEMA, with the aim of all but eliminating the embattled agency’s role in disaster recovery by Oct. 1. Asked about the discussions, a DHS spokesperson said in an email, “We …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to significantly cut the size of the department he leads, reshaping the nation’s health agencies and closing regional offices, according to documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Kennedy is set to announce Thursday the planned changes, which include axing 10,000 full-time employees spread …

Wired reports: A Venmo account under the name “Michael Waltz,” carrying a profile photo of the national security adviser and connected to accounts bearing the names of people closely associated with him, was left open to the public until Wednesday afternoon. A WIRED analysis shows that the account revealed the names of hundreds of Waltz’s personal and professional associates, including …

Politico reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday did not rule out allowing Russian banks to rejoin the SWIFT international payment messaging system as negotiations continue on an end to the war in Ukraine. But the White House would need backing from Europe to restart it. “There would be a long discussion about many things in terms of the proper …

German outlet Der Spiegel reports: Private contact details of the most important security advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump can be found on the internet. DER SPIEGEL reporters were able to find mobile phone numbers, email addresses and even some passwords belonging to the top officials. Those affected by the leaks include National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Director of National …